Quote:
Incorrect assumptions leading to incorrect conclusions. The guide rod is not subjected to shock, as is the slide stop, for example. The guide rod does not act as a "recoil buffer" either. The rod merely keeps the recoil spring relatively straight as it is compressed and released.
Generally correct, but...
The guide rod IS subjected to some (trivial) shock, when the slide is fully to the rear and the guide rod is resting against the frame/receiver stop. In that position, the compressed recoil spring is jammed against the rear LIP/REAR of the recoil spring guide rod. Properly designed, the guide rod could be made in a way that the lip wasn't even needed, though. That is the ONLY shock it gets, however.
When I mentioned shock absorption, it was in reference to the use of SHOCK BUFFERS (as separate piece), which I think are unnecessary if the gun has the proper springs.
Note: CZ has said that that the plastic guide rods have an admittedly small shock-absorbtion function; that was one of the reasons that they changed to plastic guide rods. (I suspect that was why SIG went that way, too -- only to revert to metal after so many SIG owners bitched about "PLASTIC" parts in their expensive SIGs...)
I suspect the LIP on the base of the guide rod is there primarily to make insertion of the spring into the gun when reassembling easier.
I agree with the gist of your message, however, in that a much, much greater amount of force is absorbed by the slide stop -- which is also a BARREL STOP, if you think about it. It gets its greatest battering when the barrel moves to the rear during the process of unlocking -- but also gets battered again as the slide returns to battery. Only part of the total force is passed to the slide (because the barrel unlocks early in the cycle and it is stopped by the slide stop pin).
And I'll agree, also, that the main job of the guide rod is to keep the spring in position, which is not a particularly stressful role.
(I also happen to think metal guide rods are "over-engineered" for the task assigned, and had plastics been available when guide rods were first made, we'd probably never have seen a metal one.)
